Recipe Notes:

• Some manufacturer labels the Thick Soy Sauce as Caramel.

• You could omit the Chinese sausage if you prefer.

• You could substitute boneless chicken drumstick with boneless chicken thigh or chicken breast if you prefer.

INGREDIENTS FOR LO MAI GAI - GLUTINOUS RICE

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(Serves 4-8 peoples)

✅️ 340g Glutinous Rice

✅️ 2 Cups Water (for soaking the glutinous rice)

✅️ 1 Shallot (±35g)

✅️ 5 Cloves Garlic (±25g)

✅️ ±18g Dried Shrimp, soaked

✅️ 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

✅️ 1¼ Tsp Thick Soy Sauce/ Caramel

✅️ 1½ Tbsp Light Soy Sauce

✅️ 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

✅️ 3 Tbsp Cooking Oil

✅️ Liquid from soaking the dried mushroom

✅️ 4 dried mushroom stems from whole dried mushroom

INGREDIENTS FOR LO MAI GAI - FILLING

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✅️ 3 Boneless Chicken Drumstick (±100g each)

✅️ 1 Whole Chinese Sausage

✅️ 4 Dried Shiitake Mushroom (±6gm each)

✅️ 1 Cup Water (for soaking the dried shiitake mushroom)

✅️ ±50g Ginger

✅️ 1½ Tbsp Oyster Sauce

✅️ 1 Tsp Thick Soy Sauce/ Caramel

✅️ 1 Tsp Sweet Soy Sauce

✅️ ½ Tsp Ground White Pepper

✅️ 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

✅️ 1 Tbsp Corn Starch

✅️ 2 Tbsp Liquid from soaking the dried shiitake mushroom

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Soak the dried mushrooms with 1 cup of water for about 4 to 5 hours until they are plump and soft.

Add 2 cups of water to the bowl containing the glutinous rice. Push the floated rice down and give the rice a stir or two to loosen up. Set the bowl aside to let the rice soak for 4-5 hours.

Set the timer for 4-5 hours. Prepare the rest of the ingredients while waiting for the dried mushroom and glutinous rice to be ready.

2. Soak the dried shrimp with hot water until they are softened and then discard the water.

Cut each of the boneless chicken drumstick into 4 portions. The chicken pieces might seem large, but they will shrink when cooked. Transfer the chicken pieces into a bowl.

Pound the ginger into a fine paste. Squeeze the pounded ginger to extract the ginger juice into the bowl containing the chicken pieces. Add oyster sauce, thick soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, sesame oil, ground white pepper and corn starch to the chicken pieces. In addition, add 2 Tbsp of the liquid from soaking the dried mushroom to infuse the chicken with a mushroom flavor. Stir the chicken pieces in the bowl to mix thoroughly. Set them aside to marinate until needed.

3. Chop the shallot and garlic into a fine mince and then set them aside.

Make a shallow slit along the length of the Chinese sausage. Peel off and discard the transparent sausage casing. Slice the sausage about 1cm thick at 45° angle into 12 equal slices and then set them aside.

Chop the softened dried shrimp prepared earlier into a fine mince and then set them aside.

4. After 5 hours…

Lightly squeeze the softened mushroom to drain the excess water and keep aside the liquid used to soak the mushroom for later. Cut the soaked mushroom from earlier into half by slicing next to its stem. Separate the stem from the cap. Further slice the halved mushroom cap into 2 sections and then set them aside as a whole. Repeat the steps for the remaining mushrooms. 

Chop the mushroom stems into a fine mince and then set them aside.

Drain the soaked glutinous rice prepared earlier through a sieve and discard the liquid.

5. Add 3 Tbsp of cooking oil to a non-stick pan. Add the Chinese sausage prepared earlier to the pan. Spread the sausage in a single layer and pan fry them over LOW heat until their surface turn slightly brown in color. Flip the sausage to brown on the other sides. Transfer the pan-fried Chinese sausage into a bowl once they are done.

Add the chopped shallot prepared earlier to the pan. Stir fry the chopped shallot over MEDIUM heat for 1 min. Add the chopped garlic prepared earlier to the pan. Stir fry the chopped garlic and shallot together until they are golden in color.

Reduce the heat to LOW. Add the chopped mushroom stems and chopped dried shrimp prepared earlier to the pan. Stir fry the mixture together over LOW heat until they are golden in color and slightly dry.

Add the prepared glutinous rice to the pan. Stir fry the rice and the mixture in the pan together over MEDIUM heat until they are mixed thoroughly.

Reduce the heat to LOW. Add the oyster sauce, thick soy sauce, light soya sauce, sesame oil and ¼ cup of liquid from soaking the mushroom previously kept aside into the pan. Stir the rice over LOW heat until they are mixed thoroughly. Add the remaining liquid from soaking the mushroom onto the rice. Continue to stir the rice for 1 min and then switch OFF the heat. Transfer the rice into a bowl.

6. Prepare 4 small bowls. Each size about 11cm wide and 4cm deep.

Arrange 1 whole sliced mushroom in the bowl with its skin facing downward. Arrange 3 pieces of marinated chicken prepared earlier next to the mushroom. Pour 1 Tbsp of the marinade onto the mushroom to add flavor. Lay flat 3 pieces of the sliced Chinese sausage prepared earlier in the bowl in-between the mushroom and chicken pieces. Fill up the bowl with the glutinous rice mixture leaving about 1cm from the brim; The rice will expand slightly when they are cooked. Lightly press and smoothen the surface with the back of the spoon and set the bowl aside. Repeat the same steps with the remaining ingredients.

7. Arrange the bowls in a preheated steamer. Cover the steamer with its lid and steam the bowls of "Lo Mai Gai" for about 45 mins.

8. After 45 mins…

Carefully remove the hot steamer lid and remove the hot bowl of "Lo Mai Gai" from the steamer with a hot dish lifter. Run a butter knife around the edge of the bowl to loosen the rice from the bowl. Cover the bowl with a serving plate and carefully flip them over. While holding the bowl with one hand, lift off the edge of the bowl with the butter knife on the other hand and push the bowl upwards to unmold. Enjoy!

RECIPE PHOTO GALLERY